Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held summit talks on Monday, where they concentrated on enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, and advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence.

According to Yonhap News Agency, President Lee welcomed Prime Minister Meloni during a ceremony at Cheong Wa Dae, highlighting her visit as the first by an Italian leader to South Korea in 19 years for bilateral summit discussions. Prime Minister Meloni, who is the president of the Council of Ministers of Italy, is also the first European leader to visit South Korea since President Lee assumed office in June last year. Her visit to Seoul is part of a broader Asia tour that includes Japan and Oman.

The discussions between the two leaders are anticipated to explore avenues for strengthening collaboration in various sectors such as trade, investment, artificial intelligence, defense, and semiconductors, as stated by Cheong Wa Dae. This meeting marks their second summit following an initial encounter on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September of the previous year.

Italy ranks as South Korea's fourth-largest trading partner within the European Union, and approximately 1 million South Koreans visit Italy annually, further reinforcing the significance of their bilateral ties, according to Cheong Wa Dae.